22. Meet again

- Next Day -

"Ha, it is time," Zion sighed. He stretched his limbs like a lazy cat, feeling his strained muscles relax. He had been sitting at the workbench for hours on end, creating plans, blueprints, and scheduling his tasks.

Don't think of it as an intricate plan; this procrastinator simply scribbled them on his notes, even the plans and blueprints were only half-made.

Zion turned to his car, which still looked like a normal car even after fitting it with its new power source. The car could now reach speeds of up to 1600 km/h or 1000 mph, nearly four times the speed of sound. The only reason it couldn't go faster was due to its design. If the engine were transferred to something like the Batmobile (animated version), it could easily go well over Mach 5.

In short, this guy had packed a nuclear punch into a pen, and it worked.

"I wonder who my first customer will be," a smile formed on his lips as he thought about it. They would experience a life-and-death in the ride. Perhaps this experience would change many lives for the better, making them cherish life more or encouraging them to return for another rush.

Zion straddled his bike, which was stolen, as his eyes scanned the packed warehouse. He didn't want to take the car for this business meeting. His clones continued their work on producing new tech for them to use, and as the terraforming project had started, they were quite busy.

"It's better for me to experience this world fully," Zion muttered as he started the bike. He planned to go to Gotham to meet a grumpy bat. He knew that Batman knew about him, but it was better for the grumpy guy to be on his toes. At least he would accept his assistance in the future, knowing that Zion was here to strengthen them.

"I wonder if he has a Meta-gene. The Omnitrix only scans the Bio-Matrix of fully evolved species. It considers the Meta-gene as a mutation similar to eye color and hair color. Unless the whole genetic makeup changes or meta-humans fully evolve, it wouldn't consider them as another species," Zion lamented. "What about those Neo-humans and whatnot? Maybe it will consider them as a new species, as they seem to have a whole different genetic makeup, at least different from the Comet."

Zion contemplated these tricky problems as he rode out of the warehouse. The warehouse's shutter door closed, sealing the space inside, literally. It was equipped with a prototype space divider that could split space, disconnecting the space inside from the outside. No thief could enter it.

"Trix, create a new genetic folder. Name it 'New-sapiens' and store data of the special genome found in humans here. Simulate the genetic evolution and add the final Bio-Matrix to the transformation playlist."

"Affirmative. New folder has been created. Scanning for special genome. Data processing 0.00001%. Exponential amount of data needed to simulate genetic evolution. Please collect more data."

"Thank you, Trix," Zion acknowledged.

Zion then took the highway out of Metropolis to Gotham. He needed to work on a sizable Atomic Engine there and wasn't planning on using any other form except Upgrade. He needed to keep Batman guessing. He also didn't need to worry about using the Omnitrix for transformation as he had already activated the [Master Control], but he kept the time out to 10 minutes, adding a little challenge and weakness to keep people off track.

Zion entered Gotham in a few minutes, accompanied by distant sirens. The police who were monitoring the speed limit only saw a blur pass by, and with their primitive cars, they chased a shadow, not knowing he was already in Gotham. Not to mention, his bike wouldn't be recorded on camera.

Zion drove around the outskirts before arriving at Wayne Manor. The Wayne's castle looked menacing, like a haunted house against the darkened sky. He arrived just in time for Batman to be home after playing the role of a billionaire playboy. The man literally thought of himself as Batman.

"I can't believe how much dedication the guy puts into his work," Zion thought. "If it were me, I would have nuked them all together to kingdom come."

But thinking back to his old days, a time of no purpose, drifting through life like a boat on a river, those days helped form his ego, a soul, yet an empty one. Would he have the will to be something more if he hadn't gotten the Omnitrix? Or would he have been a shell without a soul?

Should he even care about the past that had drifted away?

The answer was a big NO!

"Hello," Zion spoke into the communication device outside the gate.

"Hello, how can I help you?" A voice resembling Alfred's asked.

"I am here to meet Bruce. I am Zion, and I have an appointment," Zion said.

There was a pause for a moment, but the butler's voice came through. "I was expecting you, Sir Zion."

"I know, Pennyworth. But do you 'worth the penny'?" Zion tried to joke but only got himself embarrassed.

"Yes," the butler answered.

Zion entered through the now-open gates and parked his bike before the entrance.

The venerable butler was already waiting for him at the door, ready to welcome him. Zion had a slight smile as he extended his hand for a handshake. "Nice meeting you, Alfred."

"Likewise," Alfred took his hand respectfully. "Master Bruce is waiting for you."

Zion nodded before following the old butler, while carrying two metallic suitcases. They traversed the clean corridor before arriving at an old clock, which the butler adjusted to reveal a hidden door. This was the entrance to the Batcave.

Zion followed Alfred through the spiraling staircase. The staircase darkened for a bit before leading to a metal door. The butler operated the panel with natural movements, prompting the metal door to slide open, revealing the Batcave.

Zion scanned the cave and the things stored in it. Last time, he didn't have enough time to look through Batman's collections. The iconic dinosaur stood menacingly, the big penny, a giant Joker card, the Batmobiles, and some other iconic stuff.

Zion looked at the Batcomputer he had occupied before and noticed another one beside it. Batman had brought another Batcomputer after he had hacked the first one. He also noticed, like how could he not, Batman in his iconic cowl. The Dark Knight was dressed up for his daily patrols.

"You are here," Batman stated.

"Yes, I am here," Zion replied, imitating the Dark Knight's deep voice, causing Batman to glare. Zion just shrugged off Batman's gaze.

"So, where do I work?"

Batman turned without a word and walked to a separate section of the Batcave. This section of the Cave was filled with machinery, and some of the gadgets from Batman's arsenal were displayed on the walls.

"You can use the devices here, and if you need something, just ask Alfred; he will get what you need," Batman stated.

"Neat, you even have a lithography machine," Zion exclaimed as he gazed at the bus-sized machine sitting in the middle

 of the room.

"When will you be able to finish it?" Batman inquired.

"Depends on the size. I think you want to light up the whole Gotham, so, a week minimum?" Zion gave a time limit. He was able to build a small-sized Atomic Engine in a day, and that was also with second-rate equipment upgraded by Upgrade. Now, with Batman's cutting-edge technology and Upgrade's upgrades, he should be able to build it within 6 hours. But he would need to build a massive chamber for the atomic engine. The Atomic engine produces energy, but the chamber is what converts the energy. It might take a whole day of work to build the chamber. Jury Rigg was able to build it due to his dexterity, but Zion was only planning on using Upgrade with Batman, for now.

"Okay," Batman replied before he walked away.

Zion looked at his retreating back. "You do know that I could build you a better suit, right? Even better than that sloppy Bat-Armour of yours."

"We will talk about that later," Batman replied without turning back.

"Man, he is grumpy," Zion said before leaning to the silent butler. "Is he always like this?"

"Yes," he answered. "Then I will leave you to begin your work."

"Yes," Zion replied before he started moving. Zion scanned the devices around the room before sitting at the work desk and placing his suitcase aside. His first move was to merge the multiple machines into a single entity. Upgrade's inability to occupy two objects at the same time would limit his production capabilities.

"Leaving for the night," a voice came from the darkness.

"Yes," Batman answered as he got into the Batmobile.

Robin walked out of the shadows, wearing a simple attire, a plain black t-shirt and jeans. He was not going on patrol today, as he was in charge of keeping an eye on Zion.

Robin knew that Batman was trying to keep him out of his case, but he was not one to take 'no' for an answer. He also knew that he had been given an important job. This new "ally" would help them in fighting the war against crime and making a better future.

"Did you find anything about the gang?" Robin questioned.

"This gang's reach is more extensive than we initially thought, Robin. They operate beneath the surface. More investigation is needed before we can take them down," Batman replied seriously.

Robin nodded in agreement. "I will keep a watch on Zion, but we will deal with this gang together."

"Keep a close eye on him, Robin. I will return with more information. We'll put a stop to this gang's activities once and for all."

"You can count on me, Bruce. Stay safe out there."

With that, Batman disappeared into the night, leaving Robin in the Batcave to keep his watch on Zion. Robin remained resolute. He quietly slinked through the Batcave, his agile movements keeping him concealed in the shadows. He approached the section where Zion was engrossed in his work, completely aware of Robin's presence.

"What is he doing?" Robin muttered to himself.

Robin watched as Zion looked around before folding the blueprints neatly and keeping them to the side. Then he sneaked out of his work station and made his way toward the Batcomputer, his figure hidden in the darkness, his steps light.

Robin, suspicious, followed Zion in the shadows, not revealing his presence. He became more alert as Zion easily accessed the old Batcomputer, which was locked with an intricate password that only he, Alfred, and Bruce knew.

Zion pulled the chair near as he navigated the computer to run some code for him before accessing the intercoms, "Pennyworth, can you bring me some snacks? Preferably spicy. Ah, bring in some for Gray too."

Zion didn't need to wait for long before an answer came through.

"Yes, Sir Zion."

"Thank you," Zion was grateful for the butler.

The communication ended.

"You knew," Robin stepped out of hiding.

Zion rolled his eyes, "You think you're sneaky; I can hear all your footsteps a mile away, and I heard Batman leave. I am a hundred percent sure that he would not leave me without anyone keeping an eye on me."

"Understandable," Robin acknowledged.

Zion nodded before navigating the supercomputer. The computer screen flashed before displaying an array of surveillance footage. The footage kept changing as it showed many people dressed like thugs moving crates.

"Wanna have fun," Zion turned to Robin with a smile.

---

Should I give Batman or any another character metagene?